A team consisting of students of FH Aachen and RWTH Aachen University took on this mission, not once but twice. In 2017, Team Sonnenwagen Aachen took part in the World Solar Challenge in Australia for the first time and was ultimately awarded Best Newcomer. In a new line-up, the team again competed in Down Under in 2019 - in the end, they finished in an outstanding 6th place.
Novelty
Our motivation was to show what our Sonnenwagen is capable of. We were the only newcomer team to cross the finishing line.
Design
In aerodynamics, we designed this car from a blank sheet of paper. Without the help of aerodynamics, we wouldn't have had the chance to race at the front as much as we did.
Success
We were the fastest solar racing car in the world. In the qualifying round, we reached 144 km/h.
Logistics
We transported 55 camping chairs and 600 kilos of water. One evening, we prepared 12 kilograms of pasta in huge cooking pots.
Crisis Situations
When we had the crash, the team reacted exceptionally quickly. It was like an ant colony: everyone knew where to go.
After the crash, a lot of the other teams thought we were out, and we were then extremely proud when we reached the finishing line. That's an extremely impressive team spirit, you can't achieve that with just any team.
Team Spirit
The team spirit was just awesome. That will remain.
Sonnenwagen lives on.
Rankings
- World Solar Challenge 2017, Best Newcomer
- European Solar Challenge 2019, 3rd place
- World Solar Challenge 2019, 6th place, Safety Award, Spirit of the Event Award
- European Solar Challenge 2020, 5th and 8th place
Translation:
Monika Brinkmann
Photo Credits / Video References:
Team Sonnenwagen Aachen e.V.